DOC director-general Penny Nelson said research showed 89 percent of New Zealanders thought the country's nature was in good shape - which she described as "disconnected from the reality of the situation".

"There are just 238 kākāpō left, fewer than 40 tara iti (New Zealand fairy tern) and 4000 native species that are threatened or at risk of extinction; 63 percent of our ecosystems are on the brink of collapse. These are the numbers we want everyone to be aware of."

Via DOC's new campaign puts NZ's population at 695 billion.